EEOC sues rehab center for failure to accommodate

The EEOC has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation of violating the ADA when it refused to accommodate a disabled employee’s request for training assistance.

The lawsuit charges that the company initially hired a woman for a housekeeping job. She is hearing-impaired and asked the company to assign a sign-language interpreter to her during her training sessions so she could participate fully. The company allegedly refused, and as a result, the woman could not complete her training and lost the job.

The EEOC charged that it would not have been an undue hardship for the company, which employs more than 500 workers and provides rehabilitation, education and vocational services to brain-injured patients, to provide the translation services.

Final note: Remember that disabled applicants are entitled to reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process, including during training programs. Once hired, disabled employees are also entitled to reasonable accommodations to attend training, seminars and other programs available to other employees.

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